Fairy Tail: Rescuing Dark Guild
by 4fireking
Summary: Carly meets a boy named Ravi who saves her. She is a ten year girl and even though she needed help to be saved she is off to join a guild. What adventures are waiting for her in Werewolves Kill Vampires Guild?
1. Chapter 1

**4fireking here and the author who helped me write this story is Sapphire Tempest. We collaborated on this story and it makes me happy to post it because it's the 170 story I've posted on my profile. Please read and review.**

XXX

Some Mage's are made to be more good then bad. They learn what love is since the moment they take their first steps. And some... Well, some forget... That there is good in the world at all. They become dark, twisted versions of themselves, something no one can recognize as anything other than evil. Others chase what light they can find, jumping from place to place in an effort to regain it, joining with others in a crusade against the dark.

A ten year old girl was trapped in a crevasse with things seeming to be no one was going to save. As she trembled in the darkness, she began to wonder if she'd ever see the light of day again. Then, from above, a call rang out, "Hello? Is someone down there?! My dog keeps coming back here so..."

She wasn't happy or angry, just curious about the teenager with the wet hair missing a hole of hair.

"I'm... I'm here!" She shouted up to him, brushing her dirty silver hair behind her ear.

"Woah! So someone is down there! Alright just... Just hang on! I'll be back with a rope or something!" The boy missing hair shouted down, barely visible in the dark.  
She hunkered down, alone in the darkness once more, waiting for the strange boy.

She didn't disbelieve he was coming back but he was taking a while so she looked at her locket. The locket itself had a timekeeper on one side, and a photo on the other. She looked at the broken timekeeper, as if she could make it tick again by sheer force of will. When it failed to work, she turned her crimson eyes to the photo.

In it was a young woman so happy and full of hope. She wore an orange bandana she used to use to wash dishes with, had brown eyes like a squirrel's eyes, and the brightest smile. She was her aunt and for the first two years of her life she was the one who took care of the poor girl.

With shaking hands, the girl traced her aunt's smile. She had so much to thank her for, but now, would never get the chance to.

" I'm back!" The boy called. " I am going to lower a rope to you. Please try to grab onto it."

"O...Okay!" She shouted back. She wasn't sure who this boy was, or if he could be trusted, but the small creature curled around her bicep hadn't made a move to attack him yet, so that was a plus. The creature was a snake, about the length of her arm, that was colored crimson and black. He had appeared after... After the tragedy happened, and he never left.

She was finally free of the crevasse and back where she could see trees and water glittering to her in the distance.

She turned to look at the boy with the missing hair. He was around her age, maybe just a little older. He gave her a toothy grin and stuck out his hand, "Hi! I'm Ravi! What's your name?"

" Carly. Thank you for saving me but I should be on my way. I'm on my way to join a guild full of people who are trying to recover things they lost and grow to be strong like a mountain."

"A guild!" The boy cried, perking up. "That's so cool! I've been wanting to join one for a while now, but all of them are so far... And I don't really want to go alone."

She rolled her eyes. She almost felt sorry for the boy eager to join a guild and because he seemed optimistic about it she let him tag along on her way to the guild.

A few hours later, when the sun beat mercilessly on their backs, the only thing that kept her hopes relatively up was Ravi. He kept bouncing along with his dog, who was a large white husky, despite the heat.

"How are you not really hot right now?" She asked as she wiped her forehead.

He gave her a blinding grin, "I'm a mage! My magic is all about heat and light, so this is kind of nice! What's your magic?"

" My magic is transformation magic. It's a shame that I cannot transform into an animal that can fly though."

"Really? That's awesome! You could turn into a cat or a dog! Or even a horse!" Ravi said excitedly.

The boy was smacked on his cheek by her hand. " I don't transform into this simple forms."

"Owwwww." He whined, rubbing his cheek, "Eesh. You don't have to get so huffy about it, Princess. So what do you shift into then?"

" I shift into tigers, hulking monsters with animal bodies, and a giant worm."

He raised an eyebrow, "Really? That's cool! You can still shift into stuff! All I can really do right now is make the light get really, really bright, glow, and throw fire."

" That doesn't matter to me. What matters is becoming a high ranking Mage."

"So you're pretty determined on that, aren't you? Any particular reason why?"

" I believe I can find something useful until the guild that means more to me then a bag of gold."

"Oh! That's another thing! What guild are we going to?" He asked excitedly.

" Werewolves Kill Vampires. That's the name, got it?"

The boy blinked, "Uh. Sure? You'd think they could come up with shorter names though. But it's cool!"

" Glad you think so. I want to walk there and you need to follow me all the way there. All I can ask is please and thank you?"

The boy bowed with a flourish, "I shall do as you request, oh great shapeshifter."

XXX

The two Mage's stared in awe at the size of the Werewolves Kill Vampires guild they traveled so far to find.

It stood in all it's towering magnificence. The sunlight bounced off of it brilliantly.

To the two mage's, it was as if they had stumbled upon a temple. Like a temple they paid their respect to the place. Then the door opened, revealed a woman with golden hair and silver eyes, smiling cheerfully as she looked out.

" Welcome to Werewolves Kill Vampires. Whether your here to join or just need help on a personal mission for a personal member we are here to help."

Ravi bounced forward eagerly, "Hi! We're here to join!"

" Aren't you eager to go on life threatening missions from a guild with no respect. But sure you two can join." She said.

The two children exchanged a glance, surprised at the blunt wording, before Carly grabbed Ravi's shoulder and drug him into the building after the golden haired woman.

" I don't care if their name means we have to fight a bunch of werewolves in a cave." she said.


	2. Chapter 2

Rescuing Dark Guild Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys, SilentWolf76 here bringing you the second chapter of this story! Don't worry, this may be the only time you'll see me pop up out of the blue.

Hope you enjoy it~

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

It didn't take long for Carly and Ravi to get acquainted with the members of Werewolves Kill Vampires. There were many brawls and fistfights, but the pair knew that as long as you avoided people who are easily triggered for no good reason, they would get along alright.

"Okay, what do you want to do now?" Ravi asked as he sat at a table in the far corner of the guild hall. Carly sat on the chair opposite him, with the husky beside the boy.

"Uh…" she glanced around the room, before she spotted the request board. Even from her distance, she could tell that there were many requests on it which seemed to fill the entire board and she swore that there was a few right on the edge. Wow, they've got a great range to choose from, she mused to herself as an idea popped into her head.

"Well?" Ravi raised an eyebrow at her, and she turned her attention back to him.

"How about we go on a mission?" Carly's eyes twinkled with excitement, but Ravi looked incredulous.

"Seriously? Go on a mission when we pretty much just got here? No way! What if we pick one that someone else was going to get, but we beat them to it? They'll attack us!"

She shrugged. "If they attack us, then we fight them."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope." She grinned, standing. "C'mon, let's go!"

Reluctantly, he stood and followed her, the husky padding alongside him.

"Hang on," without warning, Carly stopped and turned to face Ravi. "You never told me what your dog's called."

"Didn't I? Oh. Why, do you wanna know?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm implying here."

He sighed and smiled softly at the husky, which stared up at him with wide, round eyes. "Kōri."

"'Kōri'?" She echoed.

"What? I like the name."

Rolling her eyes playfully, she turned and continued walking, the other two close behind.

Once they stood in front of the request board, they instantly felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of requests on the board. Carly perused it swiftly, aiming for a medium-difficulty job. She didn't want one that would be way too easy, but at the same time she didn't want one that would be hard and they could possibly fail at – that would be bad, wouldn't it? Failing your first mission in your new guild would definitely earn a few teasing's (at the minimum) from the other members.

She soon found one that interested her. "Hey, Ravi!" She called. "How about this one?"

He glanced over at her, one eyebrow raised. "What?"

Pointing at the request, she beckoned him closer with her other hand, to which he obeyed curiously, before peeing at the thing she'd pointed out.

"Seriously? You want to take this one?" He asked incredulously.

Carly nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I mean, it sounds pretty cool, right? Not to mention the good reward, y'know, just pointing that out…" She trailed off, but he caught onto what she was getting at.

"Are you one of those people who only do things for the money?" Ravi didn't even bother looking at her.

"No! Of course not! It's just…we need money to rent an apartment, right? I mean, we've come a long way, and I don't know about you, but I don't fancy constantly walking all that distance just to get some proper rest."

"Ah...I suppose so. Oh, and I was only curious, by the way. I didn't realise you'd react so defensively."

"Wha- I'm not defensive!" She stamped her foot on the ground in protest, and he bit back a chuckle, instead staring uncertainly at the request.

"Uh…are you sure you want to take this job? It sounds really dangerous." She nodded, and he sighed. "I don't think you understand. This job asks you to go into a dark cave in a forest to look for some sort of monster which lurks there. Sure, the price is pretty high, but still."

Carly slung her arm over his shoulders. "Oh, c'mon! You're not scared, are you?"

Ravi bristled defensively. "Of course I'm not scared! Who would be scared of something like this? Hmph!" He snatched the request off the board and marched over to the bar, where the golden-haired woman who greeted them stood behind, serving a couple of drinks to someone.

And you say I'm defensive, she thought, but refrained from voicing it aloud, instead opting to catch up to him.

"Hello!" The golden-haired woman called cheerfully with a wave once the trio (including Kōri) stood in front of the bar. "How can I help you?"

"We'd like to take this job." Carly replied, taking the request from Ravi and placing it on the counter.

Her smile faded as she scanned the request. "Uh…are you sure you want to take this job? It sounds really dangerous." The girl nodded, and she sighed. "I don't think you understand. This job asks you to go into a dark cave in a forest to look for some sort of monster which lurks there. Sure, the price is pretty high, but still."

"Hmm…you know, that's exactly what I said." Ravi folded his arms and smirked at his companion, who sent him a glare and then ignored him.

"How long will it take to get there?" Carly asked, locking eyes with the bartender.

"W-well…" she began hesitantly, "I suppose by train it would take two hours or so, which is quicker than walking, that's for sure, but-"

"Okay, thanks! You've authorised it, right? C'mon Ravi, let's go!" Excited by the prospect of going on her first job, Carly all but ran out the guild, Ravi and Kōri trying to catch up with her.

"Wait! You forgot-" But the rest of the golden-haired woman's sentence was cut off as the door slammed shut.

After nearly riding a train for two hours, Carly realised something that made her blood turn to ice. "Oh my God…" she clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.

"Wh-what?" Ravi asked, startled by her sudden mood change.

"I can't believe it…"

"What?"

"This is so awful…"

"What?!" His voice grew in volume until he was almost shouting. "What is wrong?!"

She locked eyes with him. "We forgot to get our guild marks!"

There was a short silence, before Ravi actually fell to the floor, laughing so hard that he was barely breathing. The husky frowned at his friend's behaviour, head cocked to the side in confusion. Meanwhile, Carly glared at him, arms folded.

"What's so funny? This is serious business!" She demanded to know.

He fought for breath as his laughter died away. "I-it's just…your face!" He burst out laughing again as he saw the thunderous expression on her face, even though laughing would only make the situation worse.

"Get to the point before I personal throw you out of the train and into the furthest shark-infested waters from here so that you can never get back."

"Okay, okay," he waved her threat off, ceasing his laughter, although amusement still danced in his eyes. "It's just…you made it sound as if something tragic had happened, or it was the end of the world or whatever. Surely you can wait until after the job to get your guild mark? I mean, sure, I'm pretty bummed about it, but I can wait."

She sighed and sunk into her seat. "Yeah…I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right."

She snorted. "Don't kid yourself."

He opened his mouth to retort when the conductor spoke up, saying that they had arrived.

Carly leapt up and quick-walked out the carriage, Ravi sighing and following.

Once they were out, the scents of nature hit them with a strong wave of undoubtedly smells of the forest. The village that bordered the forest had houses constructed of wood, similar to shacks. There was only one building that used glass and brick, and that was what looked like a hospital. Of course, Carly thought, they've got to keep a hospital really hygienic, so they can't use wood and stuff in case there's bugs or whatever in it. She involuntarily shuddered at the mere thought of sleeping in a hospital, only to have ants and centipedes crawl all over you.

Rapidly, she shook the thought out of her mind and stretched her arms above her head, a large grin plastered onto her face.

"We're here, Ravi!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Well done." He replied sarcastically, but the curiosity and delight in his eyes contradicted the dull tone from which he spoke.

She playfully punched him on the arm – none too gently, though. "C'mon, let's go talk to the villagers!"

"Yeah, then we'll get at least some sort of direction, instead of aimlessly wandering round a dark forest for days on end." He headed towards the centre of the village, where a large fire was being constructed by both men and women. Even the children were helping out, but only carrying small branches and dried leaves to it.

A large light brown dog, about Kōri's size, walked up to the trio, its ears peeled back and lips curled into a snarl. Kōri bristled, but otherwise didn't react.

"Ah!" A voice gasped before a middle-aged woman jogged over to them, before kneeling and gently patting the dog on the head and whispering to it in soft-spoken words. It instantly calmed, and sat, tail wagging. Smiling, the woman stood up and waved the dog off, and it bounded away.

"Sorry about that. She's always suspicious to strangers." Then the woman peered at them closely. "I don't think I've seen you three around here before. Are you here to participate in the Sacred Exchange Festival?"

"Uh…we…we didn't know there was a festival, actually. No, we're here on a job to slay a monster in the forest." Carly replied, feeling slightly guilty at not knowing and possibly seeming rude because of her ignorance.

The woman clapped her hands together, delighted. "Really? You have? That's wonderful!" Then her smile faded. "The monster which lurks in the forest always interrupts our Sacred Exchange Festival. It attacks everything and destroys the offerings."

"'Offerings'? Wait, what exactly is the 'Sacred Exchange Festival'?" Ravi asked, confused by also curious.

The woman smiled again. "It is a very important festival for us." She began, turning to the forest as she spoke. "Over time, our ancestors used the forest more and more, until the trees began to thin and firewood had to be rationed throughout the village. That was when the chief of the village – my great-grandfather – decided to make an offering to the forest to apologize for stealing all of her trees – all of her children. You see, the forest is like a great mother, sheltering all of the animals beneath her children's branches. She was in great despair when her children died one by one, until there weren't many left."

Other villagers had turned to listen to the story as the woman told it. "The chief decided to get rid of his clothes, his house and everything in it, and went round collecting little seeds from the ground – but never ones that were still on the trees. Once he had nearly two hundred little seeds, he planted them around the outside of the forest in the hopes that they would grow and replenish the forest at a faster rate than being tangled in the branches of the other trees and constantly having to compete for sunlight. The forest took the offering of two hundred seeds very gratefully, and her despair was lifted by the knowledge that she would soon have more children to replace those who had fallen."

The woman closed her eyes as she spoke. "When my grandfather was chief, he took over the duties of protecting the saplings that were still growing. And that was when he came up with the idea of holding a festival. He was inspired by his father's story of offering two hundred seeds to the forest which he could plant to replenish her. He realised that his village constantly took from the forest – for warmth, for shelter, for example. So, he thought, it was time that the village should give to the forest. An exchange, of sorts. This was how the Sacred Exchange Festival was born."

Ravi understood the story, and opened his mouth to say something, but the woman wasn't done. "The festival became an event that took place every six months. We would offer seeds collected from the ground to the forest, and if she accepted the offering, then we would plant them and watch them grow into strong trees. We would also decorate the forest with wreaths of flowers and any plants that were not welcome in the forest would be dug up and planted away from the forest. We do not kill here, you see; not even an unwelcome plant. The forest likes that about us. We don't harm the creatures that she shelters, and for that she allows us to take her children as long as we give her something in return. This is a very special festival for us."

Carly decided that she liked these people. She, like Ravi, opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the woman. "However," her smile faded and her eyes opened, "the peace and tradition of the festival was broken when a monster suddenly appeared out of the forest ad destroyed the offerings that we were about to plant. Now, every time we hold the festival, it comes to wreak havoc. We don't know why it does this, or how we angered it, or perhaps it is simply karma. We just do not know. We thought that eventually it would stop, but it still hasn't to this day. It started attacking about sixty years ago, and I had to grow up without ever seeing a proper festival. The elders of the village tell us about it, from the time before the monster, and it never ceases to amaze me. That's why I want to see it for myself. But as long as the monster still roams, that's impossible."

"And that's why you asked for mages to come and take care of the monster." Ravi finished with a knowing look in his eyes. "Because you do not kill, and technically, the monster came from the forest. You needed someone from the outside to help you, so your wish can come true."

The woman nodded. "That's right. I am the successor for my father, who is the current chief. He has seen the festival, but he is old now, and I fear that I may become chief without being able to tell the younger generation about the great festival. Please, you must help us."

"That's what we're here for." Ravi grinned, giving her a thumbs-up before glancing at the forest. "Do you know roughly where the cave which it lives in is?"

A young boy, looking about seven or eight, piped up. "I've explored the forest, and I've seen it! It's right next to the MotherTree, like a stain on a perfect painting. The-the cave shouldn't be there. It doesn't belong in the forest. It's not welcome there, but we can't move it."

"…'The MotherTree'? What's that?" Carly asked, scanning the forest for a distinct tree.

"It's the largest tree in the forest. The heart of the forest is the MotherTree. It's in a large clearing – you can't miss it. You'll know it when you see it." The boy explained.

"Okay. Thank you for your help." Carly nodded gratefully, before heading to the edge of the forest, her companions beside her. The villagers waved them off and shouted 'good luck', but the woman's voice was loudest of all.

"Don't forget; the festival's tomorrow night! Don't miss it!" She called, both hands cupped round her mouth to project her voice even more.

"We won't!" Carly shouted back, before entering the forest and disappearing from sight.

After fifteen minutes of walking around a shadowy forest, Carly began to feel unnerved. Night was falling, and she predicted the time as around 8PM. Not the best time to go monster-hunting, she thought as she squinted into the darkness and narrowly missed walking into a tree.

"Are we ever going to find it?" She whined as she tripped over a tree root for the umpteenth time.

"Found it!" Ravi suddenly yelled to the side of her as he leapt over a bush.

"Oi, don't joke about tha- oh, you've got to be kidding me." Carly sighed with irritation as she stepped over the bush and emerged into a large clearing with a huge tree in the middle.

She frowned. "Hang on, I can't even see a cave-"

"Found the cave!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." She repeated as she ran over to Ravi, who was gazing at the dark mouth of the cave in all its glory. "How did I even miss this?" She asked herself as Kōri barked in warning, ears pressed to his head.

"What's wrong, boy?" Ravi murmured as he knelt down. The husky only whimpered and pressed himself into the boy. "Hey, are you scared to go in?" The dog nodded, as if he understood. "Well, how about you stand guard out here?" Kōri frowned in an adorable way before yipping excitedly, ears pointing upwards.

Nodding to himself, Ravi stood and turned to walk into the cave, Carly right beside him.

However, it didn't take long before they realised that they couldn't see a thing.

"Oh! Don't worry, I got this." Ravi closed his eyes and concentrated, before his body began to glow with a warm amber light. It was both fascinating and comforting at the same time for Carly, who sighed in relief as she could finally see where she was going.

The cave was fairly wide, and they were almost right in the middle. There was about two metres distance between the two mages, which Carly wondered how it had happened, considering they entered the cave side by side.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she swore she saw something move in the darkness still clinging to the walls of the cave, but she merely blamed it on the fact that the shadows danced around as Ravi moved.

If only she'd voiced what she'd seen.

It just happened so fast, you see.

Suddenly, a shadow-clad creature leapt out of the shadows, bringing its left clawed paw up in front of Ravi, before swiftly bringing it down in a diagonal line across his front. There were only three claws on its paw, but they were long and sharp, and easily ripped through his clothes and skin as it they were paper.

With a surprised cry at the sudden wave of white-hot pain, Ravi doubled over, clutching the three diagonal lines on his torso, stretching from his right shoulder to left hip. They weren't deep enough to affect his organs or ribs, but was still far from shallow.

"Ravi!" Carly screamed as his knees buckled, the pain overwhelming his sense of balance. He didn't respond to her, head bent and hands desperately trying to staunch the blood flow (to no avail).

Growling, she turned to face the monster, but found herself staring into darkness as the glow that surrounded her companion died away. She bit her lip and racked her brain for a plan to fight something that she couldn't see. I could turn into a monster to fight it, but I need some light first. Where can I get light from?

Then she remembered something. 'All I can really do right now is make the light get really, really bright, glow, and throw fire.' She gasped inwardly. That's it! Wait- can he do it?

Glancing at her comrade as best she could, she decided that she had to at least try. "Ravi! Listen to me!" She called, and sighed with relief as he lifted his head slightly. "Can you make the light get a lot brighter?"

"N-no," he gasped out, flinching as talking hurt him more, "the-the only light would be f-from outside…b-but it's dar- ah!" He cried out in pain as his suffering increased.

Carly cursed, but then realised something. Surely there's wood in here that can be set on fire! Peering through the darkness, it seemed that luck was on her side as she spotted a large, decapitated tree root snaking across the floor. She could've tripped on it, it was that thick.

She gasped as she saw a shadow suddenly race towards her, and had to quickly duck to avoid having her head swept clean off her shoulders.

"Ravi!" She shouted, her voice echoing off the cave walls. "Can you throw some fire over here?"

He glanced at her with an almost incredulous look on his face. He's badly hurt, she chided herself, stop asking him to do stuff that'll only make him worse!

"Y-yeah, I think so." He choked out, holding one of his bloodied hands out in front of him. Attempting to take a deep breath instead of the shallow gasps that he was currently doing, he focused his remaining energy into the palm of his hand, and a small flicker of light appeared. He increased the light and moulded it into a flaming fireball, before frowning. "Where do y-you want it?"

"On the tree root, by my foot. Throw it in the direction of my voice." She commanded, and he complied, throwing it with all his might.

On instinct, Carly stepped out of the way of the approaching fireball, and grinned as it hit its target. The dead tree root quickly caught fire, and the cave was lit up once more. This action revealed the monster to her, which was sneaking up behind her.

Whirling round, she leapt backwards and swiftly focused her magic into transforming her body into a monster with a cat-like appearance. She thought it was fitting, as the enemy looked relatively mouse-like, what with the twitching nose, long snout and whiskers, and the round, light brown ears atop its head. The tail, however, resembled a rat's, and it was coated in small purple spikes.

Carly's transformed body was like a giant cat, except with six legs, each equipped with four retractable claws. She had two pointed tails that waved around, and a third eye on her forehead, between her other two eyes.

Hissing angrily, she charged at the monster, using all six legs before rearing up at the last second and slashing at it with four paws while her two hind legs kept her balanced.

Squeaking, it backed off, using its own front legs to try and defend against the merciless barrage of attacks from Carly, as she also bit and punched where she could. As they fought, they constantly stamped onto the burning tree root (mostly the enemy though), causing the fire to fade.

I can't keep this fight up for much longer; I need to get Ravi to a medic, she thought as she brought her head back. This should knock it out at least. She shot her head forward, effectively headbutting the mouse-like monster on the head. Its legs slipped out from under it and its head crashed to the ground, where it lay, stunned. She wasted no time in pinning it down with two paws while she grabbed the back of its neck in her jaws. In one swift move, she jerked her head to the side and broke its neck, before spitting the now limp creature onto the floor and stamping on its neck for good measure.

Satisfied, she reverted back to her normal form and rushed over to Ravi. In the light from the fire behind her, she was concerned by how pale he was, and how he was struggling to stay awake.

"Ravi? Can you hear me?" She shuffled closer, wincing as she saw the amount of blood covering the front of his clothes and the floor. He shakily nodded to show that he'd heard her, but otherwise didn't respond. "I need to get you to a doctor..." She murmured, mostly to herself, but he'd heard, and nodded again. "Just…stay awake, okay? I'll save you, don't worry."

But he can't walk and I can't carry him without slowing down- wait! I can! If I shift into a tiger, then I can carry him on my back! I just hope he won't fall off, though…

"Kōri!" She shouted, and seconds later the dog ran in, although seemed quite nervous. "Thank God you're okay…" She glanced at Ravi again before addressing the husky again. "Listen, I need your help. I'm going to turn into a tiger and carry him on my back, but I need you to make sure that he doesn't fall off. We don't have time to look for rope or something. Can you do that?"

Kōri was quiet for a moment before he nodded. Can this dog seriously understand English?! Carly thought in and both amazement and disbelief as she picked Ravi up and gently set him on her back, before getting on her hands and knees and making sure that he was secure on her back. Next, she transformed into a lean but muscular tiger, and was glad that Ravi didn't move too much. She mentally cursed as she noticed that he'd passed out. I better make haste, she thought, determination blazing in her feline eyes.

The journey thankfully didn't take long, and passed with little incident, as Ravi stayed on Carly's back the majority of the time, except for a few times when he nearly slipped off, but luckily Kōri was there to nudge him back.

The woman from before, the daughter of the chief, walked over to them as soon as Carly had turned back to her human form.

"You're back!" She cried in delight, but she gasped in horror as she caught sight of Ravi. "Wh-what happened? Was this the work of the monster? That fiend!"

Carly nodded, struggling to support Ravi's weight as fatigue crept up on her. "Yeah; he needs medical help now! Please help us!"

"Of course." She gently picked Ravi up into a bridal-style hold and began quick-walking away. "Come; if you have any injuries, speak of them now."

She stood and followed the woman, wincing as her feet ached. Kōri stayed by her side faithfully. "No, I'm fine. Oh, and the monster's dead. I killed it. The body's in the cave."

"Okay. We will discuss the matter of the job later; at the moment, this boy is our top priority." They now stood outside the hospital, which wasn't exactly massive, but still pretty big. The woman nearly ripped the cloth that acted as a door as she charged inside, calling desperately for a healer.

They soon came, three in all, and immediately took Ravi away, leaving Carly with the chief's daughter.

"So, let's sit just outside and discuss the job, alright?" The woman said, already turning to walk out of the hospital.

The girl agreed and followed her outside, where they sat on the wooden steps that led up to the brick hospital. There, Carly recounted the events that had transpired in the forest and in the cave, both to and from the village.

"So…the festival will go uninterrupted tomorrow?" The woman asked once she had finished telling her story.

"Yeah."

She beamed. "Thank you. Thank you so much. My wish will finally come true…but at the expense of your companion getting hurt."

"His name's Ravi." Carly informed, reaching to pet Kōri, who was sat next to her, and failed to stifle a yawn.

"Okay. I'll make sure to remember that when I thank him, once he wakes up."

"Will he…will he be alright?" She queried timidly.

The middle-aged woman embraced her comfortingly. "Don't worry; he'll be fine, only sore for a few days. It'll hurt, though, so make sure he doesn't overexert himself."

Carly nodded, before frowning. "What did the monster have against the Sacred Exchange Festival?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Perhaps it was not so much a hatred towards the festival, but against us, seeing as we nearly destroyed the forest once. The forest forgave us, but that doesn't mean that everything in the forest did."

The chief's daughter glance at Carly, only to find that she'd fallen asleep. She decided to let her sleep. After all, she'd earned it.

When Carly next woke, she found herself in an unfamiliar bed, and freaked out, before remembering what had happened. Glancing at the open square in the wall that was a glassless window, she frowned as she couldn't see the sun. Had she only slept a few hours?

Confused, she got up and walked over to the window, before her eyes widened as she noticed that the sun had nearly completed its descent, not its ascent. Does…does that mean that I've slept through an entire day, and it's already basically night-time?! She thought, shocked.

Suddenly, the door opened, and an elderly man stepped in. "Pardon the intrusion, Miss Carly. I, the chief of the village, am here to thank you personally for saving the festival from the monster. And your friend is awake, if you'd like to see him."

Carly gasped and nodded. "Yes, sir! Uh…which way is it to the hospital?"

He smiled. "I'll show you. Oh, and before you ask, he's alright. He lost quite a lot of blood, but he should be okay; just weak, sore and tired."

Thanking him for telling her, Carly fell silent as she let the chief guide her to the hospital, where she once again thanked him and headed inside.

She all but burst through the wooden door that led to Ravi as she found it. "Ravi!" She cried as she spotted him, partially sat up in a bed, with a healer beside him. The healer was currently forcing him to drink what smelled like some sort of tea, and quickly took it away once he'd finished.

"C-Carly?" Ravi furrowed his brows as his eyesight was still blurry.

"Yeah, it's me. Are you okay now?"

"Meh. Been better, to be honest."

Carly resisted the urge to hit him. "Do you realise how much you scared me?! I thought you were going to die!"

Ravi's eyes closed. "Please don't shout. I have a headache."

"Oh…sorry. But still!"

He sighed and opened them again. "Are you going to the festival tonight?"

"Wha-? Don't change the subje-"

"Because I wanted to go, but I can't, so can you go for both of us? Then you can tell me all about it."

Carly fell silent, unsure of how to respond. In that silence, the voices of the villagers complaining about how dark it was drifted into the room.

"Can you help me over to the window?"

Surprised by the request, she nodded and helped him drape his legs over the edge of the bed nearest the window. Then she draped his left arm (seeing as his right shoulder was wounded, it wouldn't be a good idea to lift that arm) over her shoulders and helped him up, quickly wrapping her other arm round his waist. He squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered when the world tilted suddenly, before it balanced out again and the two walked over to the window.

From there, they could see the festival, from the large fire in the centre to Kōri, who was playing with the light brown dog from before, as if all hostilities had been forgotten. Stars twinkled in the sky, but they, along with the crescent moon, were hidden behind large clouds. The fire was bright, but it wasn't enough for the villagers to be able to plant the seeds.

Taking a deep breath, Ravi steadied himself against the window and held up his right hand. His left hand tensed and raised slightly, before both hands began glowing a bright white that caused Carly to divert her gaze.

"What are you-" She cut herself off as the stars seemed to brighten, their light piercing the clouds and shining down upon the village. She instantly knew what he was doing. "Are you crazy?! You can't do magic in your condition!"

"H-headache…" He reminded her weakly as he sagged in her arms.

"Whoa! Stop! You're gonna overexert yourself!" The voice of the healer from before startled the pair as he quick-walked over, taking Ravi away from the window and out of Carly's grip. "You silly boy! You must be crazy if you think that you can perform magic when you haven't healed yet! Do you know how dangerous it would be if you had some sort of relapse because you overexerted yourself?!"

Sighing, Ravi let himself be placed on the bed, but his hands still glowed. Carly could tell that it was taking its toll on him as his skin seemed to grow paler by the minute.

"Stop casting the spell." She commanded.

"Not until all the trees are planted." He argued.

"You'll pass out before that's done." She retorted.

"So be it."

Carly rolled her eyes. Sometimes, there was just no arguing with them.

After a couple days of resting and recovering, Ravi was declared fit enough for travel. He'd somehow managed to stay awake until all the trees were planted, but the second he stopped brightening the starlight, he was out like a light.

The trio stood at the entrance to the village, with all the villagers all there to see them off. The chief stood at the front of them all, his daughter by his side.

"Now, about the matter of payment, before you leave-" He began, but was cut off.

"Don't worry about it." Ravi waved him off.

"What?" The old man's eyebrows shot up.

"What?" Carly echoed dangerously, glaring at him threateningly.

"We don't need your payment. Seeing your daughter's wish fulfilled is good enough for me, chief. Not to mention the fact that your healers saved my life. That's payment enough, isn't it?"

Carly decided that this was the moment to step in, before they got nothing. "Now, hold on a moment. We desperately need money to rent an apartment, but I do mostly agree with what Ravi says. Still, we need the money, so…how about…" she swallowed her pride and finished, "half of the original reward?"

"A-are you sure?" The chief asked, surprised.

Carly saw Ravi open his mouth, and didn't trust him to just agree so cut him off. "Yeah, it's fine. But we really need to catch our train before it leaves…" she trailed off, but he got the message.

"Right. We have the money here." He passed them a large pouch containing half the reward. "We had to put it into two bags anyway, so here. Half as requested. And once again, thank you very much for saving the Sacred Exchange Festival from the monster. We hope that you come visit again."

"Yeah, we will!" Ravi grinned as he waved over his shoulder.

With that, the trio headed back to the train station, Carly fuming about 'losing' half of the money, Kōri barking happily, and Ravi successfully masking the pain that each step brought him.

A/N: And that's the chapter! Oh, and before you ask; Kōri is Japanese for ice, and he's a husky, who likes the snow and ice…yeah, I'm sorry.


	3. Chapter 3

Fairy Tail Dark Guild Chapter 3 

A/N: 4fireking here telling you that SeventhStar7 wrote this chapter because I managed to share common ground with the author. This was a fun chapter for me and I hope it is for you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

The train ride back to the guild was quite eventful. Both Ravi and Carly could hardly contain themselves whilst recollecting their first experience on a real mission. Although the wound on Ravi's hip was something he almost couldn't bear, the thought of seeing the lit skies during the festival made it worthwhile. Oh, and including the tasty food. In a way, it was a good experience personally for himself. His dark eyes shifted towards his quiet partner.

Carly stared outside the train windows. There was an idea that had bugged her before they first joined the guild but now, it just wasn't there. And man, the missing part really annoyed her because it just meant, she was really excited to express this to Ravi. Her crimson-coloured orbs darted around their cabin.

What was it? What is this missing idea that has been practically annoying the magic out of her? Her eyes fell on Kori. The white husky animal that was currently taking a nap on the cabin floor.

"..arly." What was it? Why was she even getting frustrated about it?

"Carly." UGH. Great. Now she was beginning to hear things.

"Carly!" Her thoughts were now broken and she whipped her head to look at Ravi that was giving an annoyed look at her. She glared back, earning a glare in return.

"What is it, Ravi?" The boy stared at her with disbelief. How dare she ask 'what' is it. He had been calling her name for half a minute and she didn't even bat an eyelash!

"Geez. I'm glad your hearing aides finally kicked in." A cold glare was sent his way but he shrugged it off,

"Anyways, I've been calling you for the past minute but you obviously had things on your mind." Carly looked away, also folding her arms in the process.

"There was something that was bugging me before, but I can't remember what it was." Carly said, looking up for any sudden inspirations. Ravi stared at the white-haired girl. It was one thing to be a weird shapeshifter, but to be quite forgetful? Wow.

"Well... I wasn't planning on joining you to figuring god-knows-what in that numbskull head of yours but I'll be here thinking of a great design for my clothes once we get back." Carly's crimson orbs widened. Design? Mark? THATS IT!

"Ravi, you're a genius!" The said boy chuckled back, a hand brought to his lips to imitate a proud evil lord,

"It can't be helped, I am quite the supreme genius when I choose to be." Carly ignored this comment and stared determinedly at Ravi, who had raised an eyebrow. Oh no. What was she up to now?

"The idea. Where are you going to get your guild mark done?" Ravi blinked rapidly before putting his left index finger to his chin. Hm. It must be in a good place, right? A place where everyone can see it and acknowledge his presence. He looked down. Would it be a good idea though? Won't that mean that guild enemies might spot him out? Who cares. Maybe he could have it on his shoulder. Or on his chest. Definitely on the upper body.

Carly looked down at herself as well. Legs? Arms? Shoulder? Back? Where would be the perfect place for it to go?

"Wait a minute, aren't there different coloured marks?" Carly mumbled, trying to think of possible colour that will combine well with her attire. Ravi gave a bored look at her,

"Wow. Thanks for stating the obvious, Carly." The silver-haired girl huffed in response before untying the orange bandana from around her head. Orange?

"Sorry for interrupting your slowness but I think I've got mine figured out!" Carly raised an eyebrow,

"Oh really? Oh please do share with me because I care." Carly drawled sarcastically. Ravi poked his tongue in response before slapping his left arm excitedly,

"I'm getting a black mark on my left shoulder!" Ravi spoke, Kori barked along with the same driven determination as his master.

"Ah. Black like the colour of your soul."

"Well, at least I've thought of something. What about you, oh great shapeshifter?"

"I'm thinking of-"

BAM!

"What was that?" Ravi muttered, but Carly was already on her feet. The sounds of loud running came outside their cabin and the wooden door was frantically slid open. It was one of the stewardess. Her brown hair was already disarrayed from the run and there were black charred marks evident on her clothes. Her orbs was wide with horror mixed in shock,

"Quick you guys, the control room has caught on fire. Try and leave quickly before the whole train catches on fire." She exclaimed worriedly before running off to the next cabin. Carly looked at Ravi with a smile.

"Looks like our mark discussion will have to wait. We've got a fire to kill." Carly said, retying her orange bandanna around her head and walking towards the door. But Ravi's words stopped her.

"You do realize that I'm still in no position to do anything extremely dangerous, right?"

"Just come with me and we'll figure out something. We should at least try." Ravi sighed in defeat. It was no use. This girl was as stubborn as a rock.

Rushing towards the control room, the two entered the fiery cabin. The heat came from the controls and the sound of the fire crackling was deafening. Ravi looked at Carly,

"This looks far beyond our contro-"

"No. Someone had done this." Ravi raised an eyebrow. Someone from within the train?

"What makes you say that, oh great shapeshifter?" Carly ignored the comment and pointed towards the handle that controlled the speed of the train. So far, the acceleration of the train was so fast, the outside became a blur,

"Look there. If you can see, there's a piece of metal lodged between the control stick and the area for decreasing the speed. If we could just maybe destroy the control device, the train would eventually stop at some point." Carly responded and Ravi nodded. Stepping forward, Carly gathered up her magic power and her crimson eyes glowed,

"Transformation magic: Enlarged Salamander!" There before Ravi was a lizard as big as the control room. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle that obviously didn't go unheard by the silver-haired girl,

"What's so funny?"

"Sorry, Carly, but God, you look hideous."

Thwack!

"Oh sorry, my tail slipped." Ravi glared at Carly but she had already scrambled towards the controls. Her large claws raised up and came back slamming down on the controlling device. A loud sound exploded in the room and suddenly, the front half of the train had caught on fire. Immediately, the two could feel the speed of the train gradually slowing,

"I think we did it!" Carly exclaimed, changing back into her human form, but something had caught Ravi's eyes and it had widened in pure horror,

"Maybe you spoke too soon." And with that, Ravi turned Carly's shoulder for her to take a view of what lied in front of them. It was a bridge. That did not have any center where the tracks met. Ravi turned back, grabbing the silver-haired girl and running to the second cabin but stopped when he saw the bolts that linked the first and second cabins together.

"Quick, give me a hand!" Ravi shouted, dropping to his knees and reaching for the link. Carly grabbed onto his left arm while his right extended towards the bolts.

"What are you planning?!" Carly shouted, the wind was whipping her hair around and the smoke from the first cabin was filling her nostrils, she looked back down to see Ravi's right arm glowing,

"I'm going to melt the links. So that the first cabin will continue decelerating speed but because the rest of the cabin has cargo and people onboard, this will help slow down the train." Carly nodded but was taken aback when he reached for the far left side where the turning wheels of the train were,

"And now?" Ravi's hand glowed brighter,

"If that first plan didn't work, then having a melted track would surely have the train slowing in no time." Ravi replied, hoisting himself back up and lunging for the right side.

Just as Ravi had predicted, the first cabin was set apart from the rest of the train. And eventually, the train had come to a stop because of the melted train wheels. Carly turned to Ravi and playfully but softly hit him on the shoulder,

"Not bad for a extremely wounded patient." Carly smiled and Ravi returned it with his own,

"Like I said before," Ravi replied cockily, "I am quite the supreme genius when I choose to be." Carly laughed and dusted off any excess chars that may have come on her clothes,

"Come on, we've got a situation to report to."

After the train ride, Ravi remembered something,

"Hey, what about your guild mark? Where are you going to put it?" The two mages stopped as Carly had a satisfied smile on her face. Ravi cringed. Wow, she was way more creepier than he had originially thought. Unconsciously, the silver-haired girl touched the locket that hung around her neck and with a smile, she turned to face her partner,

"I'll be getting a white guild mark on my left thigh." A snicker was heard and Carly turned her head to glare at the source,

"Why? To try and hide your black heart?"

Bonk

"Oww-Geez, Carly-man, you really had to me hit me that hard?" Carly ignored the pained comment but smiled aimlessly,

"No. It's because white has always been my favourite color. Its pure. Fresh. Soothing. Like how we both started a fresh new journey with our new guild. Its a new beginning. And why its on my thigh? Because my power is mainly land-type transformations. And I take great pride in it." Carly said softly but another snicker was heard,

"Okay what's funny now?"

"Sorry Carly, but that bored me to death."

BONK. THWACK. SLAP.

"You...are the worst partner to have!" Ravi exclaimed, cluthing his face like a fragile masterpiece and desperately trying to hold the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Oh my bad." Carly sarcastically responded. Both looked at each other and laughed.

This really was a fresh journey to a whole pack of adventure that lied before them.


End file.
